Listening In
by Marauder-In-Disguise
Summary: Reid overhears something he shouldn't...Pinch hit for March Madness over on CCOAC


**A/N – Sure it's kind of a cliché…but I'm going there anyway :) My prompt was Rossi/Garcia and 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?'**

**Disclaimer – The last time I looked, it still belonged to CBS**

"I don't understand why you're walking away from this now!"

At the sound of Garcia's voice, Reid froze outside of her closed door. The hour was late, and he'd come to say goodnight to Garcia and Rossi, who had wandered in this direction twenty four minutes earlier and hadn't come back. He assumed they were sharing a coffee as they sometimes did on a Friday evening, and hadn't bothered to disturb them, choosing instead to finish the research he was doing. And now, he was glad that he hadn't followed.

"I told you, I can't do this anymore," came Rossi's voice, sounding dull and resigned, "I've tried but there's no way we can ever make this work."

"Says you!" Garcia cried, in a voice that she usually reserved for Hotch and Morgan when they had run into burning buildings or tackled armed unsubs, "Does what I want not matter to you at all?"

"Of course it does," Rossi implored, "I love you. I still do."

Reid pressed his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide. He knew that he shouldn't be listening in but now he was here, and now that he'd heard what he had already, he couldn't bring himself to get the heck away from the door. Rather, he moved just a little bit closer.

"Don't lie to me," Garcia screeched, "You can't possibly say that and then leave me anyway."

"It's for the best," Rossi said, "And one day when you're married to someone who can give you everything you need, you'll look back on this moment and thank me."

"You just keep telling yourself that," Garcia hissed, "But if you walk out that door right now, I will never forgive you."

The sound of a chair being shoved back into a desk roused Reid and he turned and ran, his heart thundering. He didn't stop until he had thrown himself into the safety of the elevator. He couldn't believe what he had just heard – Garcia and Rossi! And it sounded serious, much too serious to have been happening for only a short amount of time. Crossing his arms across his chest, Reid hugged the secret to himself; he was perversely happy, in a way. He was _always_ the last one to hear gossip and now he had something all to himself. His step was light when he skipped out of the elevator and waved to the security guard. Events had taken a most interesting turn.

_**-LISTENING IN-**_

Rossi bent over and picked up the chair that he had knocked over, setting it right and resuming his seat on it.

"Nice touch with the chair," Garcia smiled, "You really made it sound convincing."

"It seemed like the right thing to do," Rossi grinned, smoothing out the script that Garcia had given him and handing it back to her, "You're really good. I actually felt a little bit scared of you."

"Well what about you?" Garcia took the script and tucked it into her oversized handbag, then moving slowly around the room and switching off screens, "Have you ever thought about acting?"

"My wives said I had a flair for the dramatic," Rossi winked, "But I don't think that would translate well onto a stage. I'm happy to help you run lines though, kitten. Anytime."

"But especially when we torment Reid, right?"

"It's so easy."

It had been a split second decision, made when they saw Reid approaching Garcia's office on the small security feed in the corner of the room. Garcia had skipped to the big confrontation scene in the latest play script that she was learning and launched into her lines. Rossi, taking her lead, had been more than happy to play along and it was all they could do to control their laughs when they saw Reid running away for all he was worth.

"Are you going to tell him or am I?" Garcia asked a little later when they were walking out together, "He'll be so excited to think that he knows some gossip."

"You can tell him. Soften the blow with cookies or candy or something."

"Okay…I don't have to tell him yet do I?"

"Definitely not," Rossi said, putting down the large box he was carrying for Garcia and calling the elevator, "Where would be the fun in that?"

"You have a devious mind, Agent Rossi."

"It wasn't my idea to mess with the poor boy, Garcia. Just you remember that."

"Touché."


End file.
